Deirdre Hargey, Minster for Communities announced this week her COVID-19 Community Response Plan, which summarises the range of actions being taken forward by the Department and its partners to enable the community response on the ground to COVID-19.
The document acknowledges the strength of the grassroots community response, outlines the measures being put in place by the department to support this response and points to further sources of information in relation to key actions. Read the document in full here.
The Community Response Plan describes 15 actions under four themes: coordination of efforts on the ground; encouraging and supporting volunteers; supporting community organisations; and funding. Actions are being taken forward by the Department, in partnership with community organisations and partners in local government and across the Executive. Actions include: providing additional funding to enable support on the ground, establishing a dedicated Community Helpline, supporting the volunteering effort and coordinating the supply of emergency food parcels.
The Department will continue to work closely with community organisations to ensure that efforts on the ground are being coordinated, supported and sustained.
Inspire is leading on Action 7: Develop new resources to support psychological wellbeing in isolation.
The Department for Communities and Inspire along with the Community and Voluntary Sector partners and other statutory agencies is developing additional information, materials, and good practice guides and supporting signposting to appropriate services for mental and emotional wellbeing.
To find out more information around wellbeing, corvid-19 and further information as the campaign develops follow the link here.